London: A surprising number of England players have been overlooked in the Indian Premier League auction, with captains Joe Root and Eoin Morgan failing to attract a single bid. Root had been expected to land a deal but went unsold on day one and was not even re-entered on day two, such was the lack of interest in signing him. Root was a key member of the team who reached the World Twenty20 final in India two years ago and his average (39.10) and strike rate (128.76) in international Twenty20 cricket put him in the high bracket of top-class players. Instead, it was Ben Stokes who franchises lined up to sign, landing the highest contract of any overseas player. Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Jason Roy were bought on first day but on Sunday, just Mark Wood, Sam Billings and Chris Jordan were signed up. A lack of availability did not help, with England players ruled out for the final two weeks of this IPL due to international cricket and a big chunk next year when they have to be back home by May 1 to prepare for the World Cup. Also, there are no English coaches in the IPL who might prize them more. Billings will now miss the first five rounds of the County Championship season, a big blow for Kent, who appointed him captain. The big winner was Jofra Archer, the Sussex all-rounder bought by Rajasthan Royals for pounds 800,000 having starred in the Big Bash for Hobart as a late replacement for Tom Curran after his England call-up. Curran went unsold. Archer cannot qualify for England until 2022 and has to spend 210 days per year in this country to meet those requirements, which could be threatened if he attracts other T20 deals. Wood and Billings were signed by Chennai Super Kings as bargain picks at the end of the auction. “I’m obviously delighted to be picked up, it gives me a chance to go to a fantastic world tournament to play against some of the best players and play with some of the best players. Playing under M S Dhoni will obviously be fantastic,” said Wood.
— The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2018
